Have you noticed that gas prices are down? Wonder why? Did you also notice in this last election cycle that that wasn’t even mentioned by the Democrats as an indicator of how well the Party’s President was doing? Wonder why?

And the biggest surprise is the gas prices came down EVEN WITHOUT the XL pipeline being approved! So much for that stupid argument which was stupid only because the shit oil being pumped out of Canada is for export only and has NOTHING to do with oil prices within the United States.

So what gives America?

Now Tubularsock put on his oily rubber boots with the American flag embossed on each boot and stepped right into the middle of the ooze. And here is what was discovered.

Never say Tubularsock is not willing to ooze the extra mile for your knowledge ………

You see in early November Saudi Arabia lowered its oil price per barrel.

Wow. What a nice surprise. And just in time for Christmas too.

You know how those Moslems love Christians.

Now some say that the Saudis did this because by lowering the world oil prices it would fuck up the Assad Government in Syria and put pressure on Iran as well.

And some say that the Saudis are trying to put pressure on North Dakota and it’s shale oil costs. That reasoning goes like this; the cost of extracting shale oil is expensive as opposed to just pumping it out of the ground in the Saudi’s established oil fields.

Driving the oil price down may force some smaller oil shale producers to slow production because they can’t recoup costs when oil on the commodity market hits below $80 a barrel.

And then some say that the Saudis lowered the price of crude to fuck up Putin and the Ukraine mess. Russia helps to balance its budget by selling oil. If the price goes down it puts the pressure on the Russian economy and the U.S. imposed sanctions put a bigger squeeze on the Russians.

Now the Saudis say that their influence is not as powerful as it once was and the world supply and demand has caused this dip in crude oil prices.

So Saudi Arabia dumping oil into the market is to just to get a competitive edge. Hmmm.

Just after Crimea voted to rejoin Russia Obummer happened to just drop in on Riyadh. You know, like gosh I was just in the neighborhood and thought we’d have a meeting.

“Leonid Fedun, a co-owner of the private oil firm Lukoil, cited President Barack Obama’s visit to Riyadh in March. “Obama travelled to meet the king of Saudi Arabia just after the Crimea events to push him to these actions (to lower the oil price),” Fedun, whose firm has large U.S. assets, said last month.” (Reuters)

New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, wrote last month, “Is it just my imagination or is there a global oil war underway pitting the United States and Saudi Arabia on one side against Russia and Iran on the other?”

Tubularsock wouldn’t be surprised. Of course it must be just another one of those conspiracy theories.

In September U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made a trip to Saudi Arabia because he was just passing through town. “When asked if his discussions had touched on Russia’s need for oil above $100 to balance its budget, he smiled and said: “They (Saudis) are very, very well aware of their ability to have an impact on global oil prices.”(Reuters)

But for Tubularsock the most logical explanation, the one that seems most reasonable is that Saudi Arabia has DECLARED WAR on North Dakota!

And the question which remains is are we as Americans going to just sit back and let this happen OR do we do what we do best …….. send in HUMANITARIAN TROOPS and bomb and drone and destroy North Dakota in order to save democracy!

The answer is really up to YOU America!

Oh well, there may be another thing for Americans to take a look at. Just maybe the price of gasoline can be manipulated by ahhh ……. somebody.

Usually the price of gas goes up and up and up when there is trouble in the Middle East but since there is no trouble in the Middle East the price of gasoline has gone down.

Or maybe the price of oil went down so that 62% that didn’t vote could get to the voting place …

And Tube, I’d like to defend North Dakota against the Saudis but I’m afraid to fight for fear I’ll catch Ebola and give it to all those brave men and women soldiers who are doing such a magnificent job of protecting us from [our elected] terrorists!

Now-now Tubularsock — do you REALLY dislike North Dakota so vehemently that you would want to ‘frack’ them if you were given the opportunity? Awww what the hell, they’re the only state in the union that had the intelligence to create their own bank — they’ll survive a fracking just fine! 🙂
Concerning fear of Ebola in ND — is every bit as frightening to me as fear and loathing in Las Vegas.

wolfess, thank you for being Tubularsock’s conscience about ND. Ok. They are smart enough to have their own bank so that does make Tubularsock want to put his interest in their interest. And Tubularsock is right with you with the fear and loathing of Las Vegas! Tubularsock has alway made sure that ANY transcontinental flight he happens to book doesn’t even pass OVER Las Vegas. That is high loathing!

Tubularsock, Tempting to say North Dakota never would be missed. But if it ends up ruined, then maybe we’ll be willing to give it back to the Sioux. Could dropping oil prices also be to keep us hooked on fossil fuels? To make alternative energy seem too expensive? (Sorry, I sometimes smell conspiracies too, real or otherwise.) Thanks for explaining things so well, one more time. – Linda

Tubularsock likes the idea of giving ND back to the Sioux. But even they may not want it any longer. But then there is the problem of South Dakota.
What is the point of a South Dakota without a North Dakota? Now look what you have done Linda!

Alternative energy never came up in Tubularsock’s research but Tubularsock rules out nothing so you make a very good point. The only thing I can think of that weakens that observation is that no one in government is really seriously pursuing alternative energy in any real way. It costs a lot to buy a Congressperson you know.

Thanks for your comment, Linda and remember “a-salt and battery” are an alternative energy force. Cheers.

Fracking has also become extremely uneconomical here in Taranaki. There were several new exploratory rigs we were promised that never happened. Owing to the price drop, the cost of extracting the oil started to exceed the expected return.

Thank you L/T for the reminder. Yes Tubularsock is aware that some Lakota Indians were at war in SD and more power to them. It has always marveled Tubularsock that our “democratic”, “freedom loving” country forced the Native American onto wasteland until the land became worth something and then treaties were reneged on. Now even crossing sacred land isn’t respected. Oh well, guess it never was really. But I’m sending Cyril Scott, the President of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Putin’s private cell phone number so perhaps they can coordinate their efforts.

There always have to be back up wars Mr.Sock.The Syria/Iraq-3, sometimes Lebanon thingy dingy is not a solid forever war. Once the Afghan/Pakistani pipeline is finished (note the VP of Unocal is the USA special Envoy to Afghanistan for a REASON). And in an interview I did with Janice Marshall (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees back in Late June of 2010 she pointed out it took 6 years to create 2 million Iraqi refugees but only 6 WEEKS to create 2 million refugees in May and June of 2010. They were convinced to leave via many heinous assaults made b y USA hired mercenaries,not under the line of command,etc. Once the tankers are lined up in the Indian Ocean, that war excursion will also be over, leaving Iran,Ukraine, Russia North Korea and China as the major next receptors of American daring-do. Because China gets about 30% of its imported oil from Iran,and mis-steps into that territory in the name of ISIS -squelching would be a major boo boo.
Ever wonder why half the US Navy floats between Korea,China and the Philippines? Ever wonder why George W. Bush GAVE AWAY MX sized nuclear secrets to INDIA (one of the least stable “democracies on the planet) and then sent 300 scientists to India to help them make mega-ton warheads?Aha, India to eh West,bad-assed Navy to the East, “just in case”something should “blow up./” in China. Mind you, our state department had written a lettewr to India for 40 years straight reminding the country to stick to its signature of the non proliferation treaty. Ha.

Thank you dougstuber for your detailed insight on oil and war. You do present a strong case and Tubularsock has to admit that it does weaken his argument for all out war with North Dakota. Oh well.
It is funny that Tubularsock thought that the prevalence of the U.S. Navy in the Pacific region was do to their interest in fishing …… how naive. And gosh Tubularsock thought we gave the bomb to India because you can’t be a democracy without one. The things I’m learning.

On another note, Tubularsock is enjoying your blog site. Some excellent and powerful poetry. Thanks for your comment.